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The Coral Reefs of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique, with Recommendations for Their Management

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The Coral Reefs of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique, with Recommendations for Their Management Western Indian Ocean J. THEMar. CORAL Sci. Vol. REEFS 4, No. OF 2,BAZARUTO pp. 227–236, ISLAND, 2005 MOZAMBIQUE 227 © 2005 WIOMSA Short Communication The coral reefs of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique, with recommendations for their management M.H. Schleyer and L. Celliers Oceanographic Research Institute, P.O. Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa Keywords: Coral reefs, Alcyonacea Scleractinia, Mozambique Abstract—Coral collections and qualitative observations were made on the Bazaruto coral reefs in the Parque Nacional do Bazaruto. A checklist of species found on the reefs is presented with descriptions of their nature. Both the Alcyonacea and Scleractinia are well-represented on the reefs and their biodiversity is discussed in a regional context. The reefs constitute a valuable resource for ecotourism and recommendations are made for their sustainable use. INTRODUCTION Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 1971, with consolidation of the park into its present form in The coastline of Mozambique (Fig. 1) extends from 2001. 10°S to 27°S, encompassing a full spectrum of reef The Archipelago is exposed to the warm waters types, from the fringing and island reef complexes of the Indian Ocean in the Mozambique Channel found on either side of the Mozambique-Tanzanian with mean monthly sea temperatures of 23-28°C border (Hamilton & Brakel, 1984; Wells, 1988; (SADCO1 data), salinities of 35.0-35.4‰ Obura et al., 2000; Rodrigues et al., 2000a) to the (SADCO1 data) and a maximum tidal flux of 3.8 high-latitude marginal reefs of southern Africa m (British Admiralty Chart 2932, 1972). The (Schleyer, 2000). The reefs in the Bazaruto prevailing south to southeasterly winds generate Archipelago are concentrated primarily around swells of up to 5 m and the region is periodically Bazaruto Island (Fig. 2) and constitute a major subject to cyclones in the austral summer. On their attraction for the ecotourism industry that operates eastern side, the larger islands have reefs exposed amongst the islands. They are isolated from those to deep water but, on the western, mainland side, in northern Mozambique by the Sofala Banks off a build-up of sediment has formed a shallow Beira, derived from the Zambezi delta, and from system of channels and seagrass beds. those to the south off Inhambane and in southern Other than the work of Benayahu and Schleyer Mozambique (Fig. 1). (1996), no published studies of the coral reefs have Bazaruto Island is the largest of the five islands been undertaken in the islands, though certain sites in the Bazaruto Archipelago and these, together were included in a national reef monitoring effort with some of the adjacent mainland, comprise a after severe coral bleaching caused by the 1998 El national park, the Parque Nacional do Bazaruto. Ninõ Southern Oscillation in the Western Indian The largest three islands were first proclaimed a Ocean (see Schleyer, et al., 1999; Obura, et al., 2000; Rodrigues, et al., 2000b). The following 1South African Data Centre for Oceanography, P.O. Box 320, Stellenbosch, 7599 South Africa Corresponding Author: MHS E-mail: [email protected] 228 M.H. SCHLEYER AND L. CELLIERS Fig. 1. Map of Mozambique showing its principal reef areas (from Schleyer, et al., 1999) THE CORAL REEFS OF BAZARUTO ISLAND, MOZAMBIQUE 229 Fig. 2. Map of the Bazaruto Archipelago. Corals were collected for this study at the sites marked with an asterisk. Original chart isobaths were in fathoms as per figure (British Admiralty Chart 2932, 1972); 10 fms = 18 m, 100 fms = 180 m 230 M.H. SCHLEYER AND L. CELLIERS account describes both the reefs and their benthic RESULTS biodiversity, which were not substantially changed by the aforementioned El Ninõ bleaching, and The collections initially comprised 27 species of provides recommendations for their management. Alcyonacea, as reported by Benayahu and Schleyer (1996), plus 99 species of Scleractinia MATERIAL AND METHODS and two Milleporina. Taxonomic revisions subsequently lead to a reduction in the number of Corals were collected by the first author using the Alcyonacea. However, members of the snorkel and SCUBA equipment on nine reefs off Nephtheidae that are still under investigation have Bazaruto Island (Fig. 2) in January 1992, July 1993 been provisionally included in the list and an and October 1994. These constitute the major additional alcyonacean soft coral was added during coral-inhabited reefs in the Bazaruto Archipelago. subsequent reef monitoring, bringing the total for Air transport limited the size of the collection and this order to 29 (Table 1). corals were only removed from the following sites: The reefs themselves proved variable in nature. Twelve-mile Reef (21° 21’18" S; 35° 30’12" E), They ranged in biogenic accretion from a sparse Outer Lighthouse Reef (21° 31’15" S; 35° 29’50" growth or thin veneer of corals on underlying E), Inner Lighthouse Reef (21° 31’30" S; 35° Pleistocene sandstone substrata to true hermatypic 29’35" E), Guinice (21° 36’05" S; 35° 29’31" E), reef formations. The former were similar to reef Ponta Goane (or Venges Reef; 21° 38’10" S; 35° structures found further to the south that have been 29’45" E), Ponta Chilola (or Xilola; 21° 42’13" S; extensively studied in South Africa (Ramsay & 35° 29’54" E), the outer (21° 48’29" S; 35° 29’57" Mason, 1990; Ramsay, 1996). However, while E) and inner sides of Two-mile Reef (21° 48’33" soft corals are more abundant than hard corals on S; 35° 29’53" E), Ponta Gengareme (21° 39’32" reefs further south (Schleyer, 2000), the S; 35° 25’46" E) and Mulidze (21° 42’59" S; 35° Scleractinia are both more abundant and diverse 25’56" E). The collection was thus representative on the Bazaruto reefs. The reefs were categorised rather than comprehensive, but notes within the text as follows: indicate the distribution of the organisms. The scleractinian collection comprised over 200 Submerged sandstone reefs specimens that were bleached after sampling in 1% sodium hypochlorite, washed, air-dried and The biggest of these features is a large reef between identified in the laboratory using relevant literature 18-25 m in depth that is twelve nautical miles NNE and the reference collection at the Oceanographic of the northern point of Bazaruto, hence the Research Institute in Durban, South Africa. The English name Twelve-mile Reef. It consists of Alcyonacea (over 70 specimens) were fixed in 4% flat rock substrata, dropping in fissures, gulleys formalin in seawater, rinsed in freshwater after 24 and low walls to the surrounding sediment. The hours and then transferred to 70% ethyl alcohol. shallower reef top has a mixed coral community Sclerites for identification of the latter were of which 1-2 m carpets of Cladiella kashmani and obtained by dissolving the organic tissues of other soft corals are notable. However, in view of subsamples with 10% sodium hypochlorite. its depth, corals are relatively sparse and a number Microscopic examination and comparison of these are ahermatypic (Dendrophyllia and Tubastraea) with the literature and reference material was and azooxanthellate (Dendronephthya). The reef undertaken in the Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv community is more mixed in the gulleys where University (Benayahu & Schleyer, 1996). sponges are also prominent, ascideans less so, and Operating conditions were stringent during the there is a sparse community of black corals expeditions and precluded quantitative work. (Antipatheria) and seafans (Annella). However, underwater photographs and field notes Conversely, at the opposite extreme, Ponta on the reefs have been used to provide qualitative Gengareme (or Zingarema) is found on the descriptions of the reefs and their associated coral western shore of Bazaruto Island, and is a steep communities. wall that falls away from a rock shelf just exposed THE CORAL REEFS OF BAZARUTO ISLAND, MOZAMBIQUE 231 Table 1. Corals collected on the Bazaruto reefs ALCYONACEA Acropora robusta (Dana, 1846) Acropora secale (Studer, 1878) Tubiporidae Acropora tenuis (Dana, 1846) Tubipora musica Linnaeus, 1758 Acropora valida (Dana, 1846) Astreopora myriophthalma (Lamarck, 1816) Alcyoniidae Montipora aequituberculata (Bernard, 1897) Cladiella australis (Macfadyen, 1936) Montipora cf. undata Cladiella kashmani Benayahu & Schleyer, 1996 Montipora hispida (Dana, 1846) Cladiella krempfi Hickson, 1919 Montipora monasteriata (Forskål, 1775) Lobophytum crassum von Marenzeller, 1886 Montipora peltiformis (Bernard, 1897) Lobophytum venustum Tixier-Durivault, 1957 Montipora tuberculosa (Lamarck, 1816) Lobophytum patulum Tixier-Durivault, 1956 Montipora venosa (Ehrenberg, 1834) Sarcophyton flexuosum Tixier-Durivault, 1966 Sarcophyton gemmatum Verseveldt & Benayahu, 1978 Agariciidae Sarcophyton glaucum (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) Gardineroseris planulata (Dana, 1846) Sarcophyton subviride (Tixier-Durivault, 1958) Leptoseris explanata Yabe and Sugiyama, 1941 Sarcophyton trocheliophorum von Marenzeller, 1886 Leptoseris hawaiiensis Vaughan, 1907 Sinularia abrupta (Tixier Durivault, 1970) Pachyseris speciosa (Dana, 1846) Sinularia brassica May, 1898 Pavona cf. clavus Sinularia erecta Tixier-Durivault, 1945 Pavona decussata (Dana, 1846) Sinularia flexuosa Tixier-Durivault, 1945 Pavona minuta Wells, 1954 Sinularia grandilobata Verseveldt, 1980 Pavona varians Verrill, 1864 Sinularia gravis Tixier-Durivault, 1970 Sinularia heterospiculata Verseveldt, 1970 Caryophiliidae Sinularia leptoclados (Ehrenberg, 1834) Gyrosmilia interrupta (Ehrenberg, 1834) Sinularia macrodactyla Kolonko, 1926 Sinularia notanda
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